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Having discovered the vanity of your thoughts and your estates thereby, be humbled for them; this I ground upon Proverbs 30:21, where Agur teaches us to humble ourselves as well for thoughts as actions. If you have done foolishly in lifting up yourself, or if you have thought evil, lay your hand upon your mouth. Now as smiting upon the thigh is put for repentance and shame and sorrow in Ephraim (Jeremiah 31:19), so is laying the hand upon the mouth put for greater and deeper humiliation, as arguing full conviction of one's guilt (Romans 3:19) — every mouth must be stopped. Having nothing to say, not to plead and excuse, that thoughts are free, and it is impossible to be rid of them, etc., but as Ezekiel 16:65 — to remember and to be confounded, and never to open your mouth more! To be vile, and not to answer again, as Job 39:27-28 — this is to lay your hand on your mouth, that is, to humble yourself.

And indeed there is much cause, for your thoughts they are the firstborn, and eldest sons of original sin, and therefore the strength of it, as Jacob called Reuben the firstborn; indeed also, and the parents and begetters of all other sins, their brethren; the first plotters and contrivers, and Ahithophels, in all the treasons and rebellions of our hearts and lives; the bellows and incendiaries of all inordinate affections; the panders to all our lusts, that take thought to provide for the satisfying of them; the disturbers in all good duties, that interrupt and spoil and taint all our prayers, that they stink in the nostrils of God.

And if their heinousness will nothing move you, consider their number, for they are continually thus: which makes our sins to be in number more than the sands: the thoughts of Solomon's heart were as the sand, and so are ours; not a minute, but as many thoughts pass from us, as in a minute grains do in an hourglass. So that suppose, that taken severally, they be the smallest and least of your sins, yet their multitude makes them more and heavier than all your other. Nothing smaller than a grain of sand, but if there be a heap of them, there is nothing heavier (Job 6:3) — my grief is heavier than the sand. Suppose they be in themselves, but as farthing tokens, in comparison of gross defilements: yet because the mint never lies still, sleeping nor waking, therefore they make up the greatest part of that treasure of wrath which we are laying up: and know that God will reckon every farthing, and in your punishment abate you not one vain thought. And that God looks upon our thoughts thus, see but the indictment he brings in against the old world; which stands still upon record (Genesis 6) — when he pronounced that heavy judgment of destroying the old world, does he allege their murders, adulteries, and gross defilements chiefly as the cause? Their thoughts rather; which because so many, and so continually evil, provoked him more than all their other sins. Go down therefore into your heart, and consider them well, to humble you, to make you vile, and if in one room such a treasure of wickedness be found laid up, what in all those other chambers of the belly, as Solomon calls them? Consider them to humble you, but not for all this their multitude to discourage you. For God has more thoughts of mercy in him, than you have had of rebellion (Psalm 40:5) — your thoughts toward us (speaking of thoughts of mercy) are more than can be numbered. You began but as yesterday to think thoughts of rebellion against him, but his thoughts of mercy have been from everlasting, and reach to everlasting: and therefore in Isaiah 55:7, having made mention of our thoughts — let the unrighteous man forsake his thoughts, and he will have mercy on him — because this objection of the multitude might come in to discourage men from hopes of mercy, therefore purposely he adds, he will multiply to pardon; and to assure us that he has thoughts of mercy to out-vie ours of sin, he adds, for my thoughts exceed yours, as heaven does the earth.

Having exposed the vanity of your thoughts and the condition of your heart that it reveals, be humbled by them. I ground this on Proverbs 30:32, where Agur teaches us to humble ourselves for thoughts as much as for actions. If you have acted foolishly in exalting yourself, or if you have thought evil, lay your hand upon your mouth. Just as striking the thigh signifies repentance, shame, and sorrow in Ephraim (Jeremiah 31:19), so laying the hand on the mouth signifies a deeper and fuller humiliation — the complete silencing of every excuse (Romans 3:19): every mouth must be stopped. There is nothing left to say — no plea that thoughts are free, no claim that it is impossible to be rid of them. Rather, as Ezekiel 16:63 says: to remember, and to be confounded, and never to open your mouth again. To be vile in your own eyes and not answer back, as Job 40:4-5 describes — this is what it means to lay your hand on your mouth, that is, to humble yourself.

And indeed there is great cause, for your thoughts are the firstborn and eldest children of original sin — and therefore carry its greatest strength, as Jacob called Reuben the firstborn. They are also the parents and originators of all other sins, their younger siblings. They are the first plotters and schemers — the Ahithophels — behind all the treasons and rebellions of our hearts and lives. They are the bellows that fan all disordered passions into flame. They are the brokers for all our lusts, providing for their satisfaction. They are the disrupters of all good duties, breaking in on and tainting our prayers so that they stink in the nostrils of God.

If their wickedness is not enough to move you, consider their sheer number, for they are constantly rising: this makes our sins more numerous than the grains of sand. The thoughts of Solomon's heart were as the sand — and so are ours. Not a minute passes without as many thoughts leaving us as grains pass through an hourglass in a minute. So even if each thought, taken individually, is the smallest and least of your sins, their sheer multitude makes them greater and heavier in total than all your other sins combined. Nothing is smaller than a grain of sand, yet a heap of them is nothing heavier (Job 6:3) — 'my grief is heavier than the sand.' Suppose each thought is, by itself, worth only a small coin compared to gross defilements. Yet because the mint never rests — not sleeping, not waking — these small coins make up the greatest part of the treasury of wrath you are storing up. And know that God will account for every one, and in your punishment will not cancel a single vain thought. That God looks upon our thoughts in this way is shown in His indictment against the ancient world, which stands on record (Genesis 6). When He pronounced the heavy judgment of destroying that world, did He charge murder, adultery, and gross offenses as the chief cause? Rather, He charged their thoughts — which, because they were so many and so continually evil, provoked Him more than all their other sins. So go down into your heart and consider your thoughts carefully — to humble you and make you vile before God. If in one room of the heart such a treasury of wickedness is found stored up, what must be found in all those other chambers that Solomon calls 'the innermost parts'? Consider them to humble yourself — but not, for all their multitude, to discourage you. For God has more thoughts of mercy than you have had thoughts of rebellion (Psalm 40:5) — 'Your thoughts toward us' — speaking of thoughts of mercy — 'are more than can be numbered.' You only began yesterday, as it were, to think thoughts of rebellion against Him; but His thoughts of mercy have been from everlasting and reach to everlasting. Therefore in Isaiah 55:7, having mentioned our thoughts — 'let the wicked man forsake his thoughts, and He will have mercy on him' — God purposely adds, because the objection of their multitude might discourage men from hoping for mercy: 'He will abundantly pardon.' And to assure us that His thoughts of mercy far exceed our thoughts of sin, He adds: 'For my thoughts exceed yours as the heavens are higher than the earth.'